ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lowered its position in shares of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 4.6% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 35,783 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,740 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in ESCO Technologies were worth $10,068,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ESE. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 97,963,600.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,938,911 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $574,234,000 after purchasing an additional 2,938,908 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 103.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 902,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $176,429,000 after purchasing an additional 458,980 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in ESCO Technologies by 1,204.3% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 432,050 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $91,210,000 after purchasing an additional 398,926 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP acquired a new position in ESCO Technologies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $81,106,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in ESCO Technologies by 26.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 891,144 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $188,129,000 after purchasing an additional 183,900 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.70% of the company’s stock.

ESCO Technologies Trading Up 1.1%

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $314.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.16 billion, a PE ratio of 26.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $322.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $292.33. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 52 week low of $174.92 and a 52 week high of $362.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.01. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 24.69% and a return on equity of 12.88%. The firm had revenue of $309.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $307.88 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. ESCO Technologies’s revenue was up 33.5% compared to the same quarter last year. ESCO Technologies has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.150 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-8.250 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded ESCO Technologies from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Monday, June 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $420.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ESCO Technologies currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $410.00.

ESCO Technologies Company Profile

ESCO Technologies Inc is a diversified manufacturer of engineered products and systems designed to meet customers’ critical performance requirements in the test, measurement, control, and filtration of data, fluids, and gases. The company serves a wide range of end markets, including commercial aerospace, defense, industrial, medical, and communication network sectors. ESCO’s solutions are tailored to environments where reliability, precision and regulatory compliance are paramount.

Operating through multiple business segments, ESCO Technologies delivers test and measurement instruments such as RF and microwave components, signal distribution systems, and integrated test enclosures that support defense and aerospace programs.